When my fiancé Kevin proposed to me in Sicily many years ago, I thought he had a really good idea and I immediately said “si”! He rode in on a white horse for God’s sake, the man deserved a standing ovation nevermind a bride.  Recently, he was getting a little envious of all of our RoMade cooking shoots and wanted in on the action.  He makes exactly two things in our house-the “Kevin Burger,” which is made once a year at our annual Memorial Day throwdown, and steak.  He has worked hard to perfect the steak recipe so it tastes as good as Luger’s every time. When he suggested I share it with the news of Pelham, I thought he had another good idea, however this time he merely walked into the kitchen to tell me and left the horse behind.

Kevin’s Perfect Steak

Ingredients

• ·      Ribeye on bone, porterhouse, or filet mignon. Whatever you prefer. About 1"- 1 1/4" thick, never frozen
• ·      Olive oil
• ·      Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ·      Pat of butter

Special Equipment needed

• ·      A Cast iron skillet (make sure it is oven proof) or another heavy bottomed skillet is needed
• ·      Aluminum foil

Directions

Start by going to a good butcher, we have been very satisfied with DeCicco’s for meats.  We love that they carry Creekstone and have grass fed and other varieties.  Never freeze it or the steak could wind up tough and watery.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

When you are ready to cook the steak, take it out of the fridge and rub it all over with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Let sit for 15 minutes to let the flavors seep in and to bring it to room temperature so it cooks evenly. 

Heat the cast iron skillet on high on the stove top until it is smoking hot, may take several minutes. Place steak on sizzling hot skillet and sear for 2 minutes exactly.  Don’t move the steak around as it is searing, just leave it to char.  Flip and sear for another 2 minutes. If you are averse to fat, you can sear the sides of the steak as well.

Stick entire pan with steak in the oven for 5 minutes (medium rare) or 7 minutes (medium) or 8-10 minutes for well done. Don’t flip the steak while it is in the oven. 

Remove steak from oven and pan place on wooden cutting board or ceramic plate and top with a pat of butter. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 8 minutes so the juices redistribute.

Slice steak and hit with a sprinkle of sea salt (optional).  This goes really well with an iceberg and blue cheese wedge salad.